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Data on SARS-CoV-2 events in animals: Mind the gap!
Afra Nerpel1, Annemarie Käsbohrer1, Chris Walzer2,3
1Unit of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
One Health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|November 29, 2023
Summary
Significant data gaps exist for SARS-CoV-2 in animals. Over half of animal cases and deaths were not reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), highlighting critical needs for improved data sharing in One Health surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Epidemiology
- Zoonotic Disease Surveillance
- Comparative Virology
Background:
- Current SARS-CoV-2 research prioritizes human impacts, neglecting animal host viral circulation and evolution.
- Effective One Health strategies require robust data on animal infections, which is currently insufficient.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the data gap in SARS-CoV-2 animal cases and deaths reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) compared to other sources.
- To identify underreported animal species and analyze reporting/publication lags for SARS-CoV-2 events in animals.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the SARS-ANI dataset for WOAH and ProMED-mail reported SARS-CoV-2 animal events.
- Generated the novel SARS-ANI SciLit v1.0 dataset from PubMed for scientific literature.
- Compared data from WAHIS, ProMED-mail, and scientific literature to estimate reporting discrepancies.
Main Results:
- At least 52.8% of animal SARS-CoV-2 cases and 65.8% of deaths were unreported to WOAH's WAHIS (29/02/2020-16/08/2022).
- A comprehensive list of 35 susceptible animal species was compiled, exceeding previous reports.
- Dogs and cats received the most research attention; scientific papers showed longer publication lags than official reports.
Conclusions:
- Significant underreporting of SARS-CoV-2 in animals to official channels like WAHIS exists.
- Enhanced data sharing on animal SARS-CoV-2 infections is essential for effective One Health surveillance and zoonotic disease control.
- Disparities in national reporting strategies necessitate improved global data harmonization.
